Tuesday, October 30, 2012

What: "Veterans Day Salute: A Celebration of Service," an encore presentation of Fantasy of Flight's Legends & Legacies Symposium Series. Five veterans of World War II and Vietnam will share their personal stories, while six military aircraft that flew in those conflicts will be featured and flown.

Details: The Veterans Day events are included in Fantasy of Flight general admission of $28.95 plus tax for adults and $14.95 plus tax for youth (ages 6-12); ages 5 and younger are free with full-paying adult. All active duty, retired, reserve and veterans with valid ID will receive free admission during the Veterans Day Salute.

Also: Through Nov. 14, guests may bring a non-perishable food item that will be donated to The Mission in Winter Haven and receive $5 off general admission. Each person in a group must bring an item to donate. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers. Group rates are available.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Cumberland Island Lands and Legacies Tour
Forty years ago yesterday - Oct. 23, 1962 - the U. S. Park Service took over Cumberland Island National Seashore. Since then, Plum Orchard, the mansion Lucy Carnegie built as a wedding present for her son and new daughter-in-law, has under gone major renovations and is open for visitors on the Lands and Legacies Tour.

Traditionally day trippers to Cumberland have gone from ferry dock to the south end of the island's beaches and the ruins of Dungeness, the mansion built by Thomas Carnegie, younger brother of steel magnate and library builder Andrew. They reached it by foot or on bicycles.

Only overnight campers who were hardy hikers had time to take in the island's north end. For the first time, the Lands and Legacies tour, introduced a year ago, makes the north end accessible to all. Or at least the 20-30 who snag reservations for it. There are three regular 15-passenger vans and one equipped with a wheelchair lift.

The vans take visitors from the Dungeness dock past the open field once part of the Stafford Plantation, now an airfield of sort kept trimmed by grazing wild horses, stopping for a look at the Stafford cemetery. Buried here also is Thomas Hutchinson from St. Andrews, Scotland, a golf pro the Carnegies brought over to design and manage a nine-hole golf course.

Along the way you learn of the maritime forest ecosystem and Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Green who was given much of the island as recompense for the money he lost financing the war for America's freedom. If you're lucky, you'll also encounter deer, wild turkeys and horses.

Plum Orchard is the longest stop to tour the main rooms including the indoor pool and one of the last remaining indoor squash tennis courts left.

The tour continues to Brickhill Bluff and The Settlement, where former slaves made their homes and where John F. Kennedy Jr. was married. Visitors are delivered back to the Dungeness dock in time for the 4:45 p.m. ferry back to the mainland.

As memorable as 100-plus-room mansions are, what sticks with you is the island's rich history and challenging ecosystem.

Tip: Around mid November, the rangers and volunteers begin decorating Plum Orchard for Christmas. On Sunday, Dec. 9, the day after the St. Mary's Christmas Tour of Homes, Plum Orchard is open for tours and the decorators are all attired in period costumes. It's VERY popular and limited to space available on the ferry.

The Lands and Legacies tour is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and children ages 15 and under. The round-trip ferry from St. Marys, GA, to the island is $20 for adults, $18 seniors and $14 children 12 and under. Advance reservations are necessary.

Skiers' Dream Contest

What: Win a "Lifer Pass" to the slopes at Winter Park Resort in Colorado. That's the grand prize. Bi-weekly giveaways include a Spyder Sweater, a bag from The North Face, a Never Summer Snowboard, skis from Head, a Burton snowboard.

Fine Print: Open only to entrants who, as of the entry date, are permanent legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., who are at least 18 years old. The Sweepstakes is void outside the 50 United States and D.C., and where prohibited or restricted by law. LIMIT: One (1) entry per person (regardless of method of entry) or address (physical or email).

What: Space shuttle Atlantis flew 33 missions into space, logging 125+ million miles. The 10-mile move is the only opportunity to see it until the scheduled opening of its new home July 2013. Astronauts, space program officials, special exhibits and autograph sessions will be available

Rollover Package, includes Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex admission with the opportunity to see Atlantis on the final leg of its 10-mile journey entering the new orbiter home, followed by fireworks.
Planetarium experience at the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Dome.
Learn about NASA’s Time Machines: the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Discover the future of NASA with the transformation of Kennedy Space Center into a 21st Century Spaceport; the next generation of heavy launch vehicles: Space Launch System; and building the future in space through commercial crews.
A special Astronaut Encounter with space shuttle astronauts from Atlantis’ final mission.
Additional displays and activities include the Lunar Quest Simulator, Vehicle Assembly Building Crane Simulator, Robotic Refueling mission, Technology Demonstration Missions and Inflatable Curiosity RoverCost: $50 adult/$40 child (ages 3-11) plus tax.

Autograph Session and Memorabilia Show, Visitor Complex, benefiting the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Throughout the day, a "who's who" of space exploration – more than 50 astronauts and special guests – will sign autographs at the Kurt H. Debus Conference Facility, adjacent to the Rocket Garden. Each astronaut will have his/her own station and charge a fee for autographs. Guests can bring memorabilia to be signed, or choose from photos and memorabilia that will be available for purchase. Admission is $15 for adults and children.

What
is it? A game that started in 1907, petanque is a version of an older
outdoor bowling game. The object is to toss or roll a number of hollow
steel balls as closely as possible to a small wooden target ball. Teams
take turns and the one closest to the target when all balls have been
played is the winner.

What else: Watching is free and international live music, food and a bar are promised.

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Judy also blogs at
Travel on the Level, http://www.travelonthelevel.com with,tips and warnings so you can travel with less strenuous walking and fewer stairs.
Food Afar - Recipes from a Travel Writer
http://www.foodafar.com where I share recipes from talented amateurs and top-ranked chefs so we can bring home the flavors of our travels.
WellsWorld
http://www.wellsworld.net, where you will find travel tips and special deals so we can all travel more for less.